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Ai sureba koso / 愛すればこそ / (‘Only If You Love’, 1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #166 Isuzu Yamada This omnibus film comprised of three stories was an independent venture co-produced by two compani...


Solo Leveling Episodes 17 and 18 – Simply Stunning
These two installments were both great, but the second one (episode 18) blew me away with its stunning visuals. There was so much dynamic, cool, and colorful animation.
The Gate of Youth / 青春の門 / Seishun no mon (1975)
Obscure Japanese Film #165 Tomohiro Tanabe and Sayuri Yoshinaga Based on the first part of a bestselling doorstop novel by Hiroyuki Itsu...
Shunsetsu / 春雪 / (‘Spring Snow’, 1950)
Obscure Japanese Film #164 Yasuko Fujita Takako (Yasuko Fujita) is a young woman who works on the ticket desk at her local train station...


COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing Anime Film Review
COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing is a movie made for one group of people and one group only: Players of the smartphone game Hatsune…


Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is Now Live
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To blends two major sources of inspiration: the joyful, colorful puzzle mechanics of Panel de Pon and the heartfelt and playful storytelling…
Why Did These Women Become Like This? / 何故彼女等はそうなったか / Naze kanojora wa so natta ka (aka Girls’ Reform School, 1956)
Obscure Japanese Film #163 Kyoko Kagawa and Masako Nakamura This social conscience picture from Shintoho studios stars Kyoko Kagawa as Mis...
Kodomo no me / 子供の眼 / (‘Eyes of a Child’, 1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #162 Hideko Takamine Kiyoko (Hideko Takamine) is a young woman living in Tokyo with her older brother, Shunji (Hiros...
Junpaku no yoru / 純白の夜/ (‘Pure White Nights’, 1951)
Obscure Japanese Film #161 Michiyo Kogure Ikuko (Michiyo Kogure) is a young woman happily married to Tsunehiko (Seizaburo Kawazu), a banke...


CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION: CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan vol. 2 cover
The cover of volume 2 of the CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION edition of CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan has been announced! © CLAMP・Shigatsu Tsuitachi CO.,LTD. / 角川書店 Again, very colorful! Previous CPCs …
When Women Lie / 嘘 / Uso (‘Lies’, 1963)
Obscure Japanese Film #160 L-R: Eiko Takashiro, Junko Kano, Nobuko Otowa Following the template of their earlier picture A Woman’s Testame...
The Crab Cannery Ship / 蟹工船 / Kanikosen (1953)
Obscure Japanese Film #159 So Yamamura Based on the 1929 novel of the same name by communist writer Takiji Kobayashi (tortured to death by...


Seijin No Hi: Celebrating Japanese Youth’s Rite of Passage
Look out for colorful kimono! Learn about Seijin no Hi, a public holiday in Japan for Japanese youth to officially become adults.
The Wild Goose / 雁 / Gan (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #158 Ayako Wakao Tokyo, 1880. Otama (Ayako Wakao) is a young woman back living with her widowed father (Tomosaburo...
The Perennial Weed / 昭和枯れすすき / Showa kare susuki (1975)
Obscure Japanese Film #157 Kumiko Akiyoshi and Hideki Takahashi Harada (Hideki Takahashi) is a young police detective assigned to the Nish...
Asakusa no yoru / 浅草の夜 (‘Asakusa at Night’, 1954)
Obscure Japanese Film #156 Ayako Wakao and Machiko Kyo Setsuko (Machiko Kyo) is a dancer at a theatre in Asakusa, where she’s been havin...
A Portrait of Shunkin / 春琴抄 / Shunkinsho (1976)
Obscure Japanese Film #154 Momoe Yamaguchi Doshomachi, Osaka, early Meiji era (c.1870s). Okoto (Momoe Yamaguchi), the youngest daughter ...


CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION: CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan vol. 1 cover
The cover of volume 1 of the CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION edition of CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan has been announced! © CLAMP・Shigatsu Tsuitachi CO.,LTD. / 角川書店 Colorful how it should be! It…
The Twilight Years / 恍惚の人 / Kokotsu no hito (‘Senile Person’, 1973)
Obscure Japanese Film #153 Hideko Takamine and Takahiro Tamura Akiko (Hideko Takamine) is a middle-aged woman with an office job who lives...
The Kii River / 紀ノ川 / Kinokawa (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #152 Yoko Tsukasa Wakayama, 1899. Hana (Yoko Tsukasa) is a young woman from a highly-respected family who marries ...
Usotoki Rhetoric Live Action Review
Usotoki Rhetoric ReviewDrama: Usotoki RhetoricJapanese: 嘘解きレトリックNetwork: Fuji TVActors: Suzuka Ouji, Honoka MatsumotoSet in the early Showa era, the story is about Urabe Kanoko, a girl who can hear…
The Naked Executive / 裸の重役 / Hadaka no juyaku (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #151 Hisaya Morishige Hidaka (Hisaya Morishige) is a widowed office manager with a grown-up daughter, Keiko (Yuriko ...


First Impression: Mononoke. The Phantom in the Rain
Welcome to the Ooku, the harem of the Tenno, the Emperor of Japan. In this colorful, luxurious space, forbidden to men under the penalty of immediate beheading, an…
On This Earth / 地上 / Chijo (1957)
Obscure Japanese Film #150 Hitomi Nozoe and Hiroshi Kawaguchi Kanazawa, central Japan, c.1920. Heiichiro (Hiroshi Kawaguchi) is a student ...
Tokyo Onigiri Girl / 東京おにぎり娘 / Tokyo onigiri musume / (aka ‘Triangle Moods’, 1961)
Obscure Japanese Film #149 Ayako Wakao and Ganjiro Nakamura Ganjiro Nakamura and Murasaki Fujima Mariko (Ayako Wakao) is the daughte...
The Makioka Sisters / 細雪 / Sasameyuki (‘Light Snowfall’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #148 Junko Kano and Fujiko Yamamoto Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel Sasameyuki is widely recognised as a classic of Japa...
Best Japanese dramas 2023-2024
So it is that time again where I share what I think the best Japanese dramas for these past two years. I only have 6 on my list…
The Pit of Death / 怪談おとし穴 / Kaidan otoshiana (aka ‘The Ghostly Trap’, 1968)
Obscure Japanese Film #147 Mikio Narita Kuramoto (Mikio Narita) is an ambitious salaryman working at a company based in a tower block sa...
Shojo yutai / 処女受胎 (‘Immaculate Conception’, 1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #146 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production stars Ayako Wakao as Aiko, a modernist oil painter who has hit a creative w...
Love in the Mountains / わかれ / Wakare (‘Parting’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #145 Haruko Wanibuchi and Isuzu Yamada Teenager Kimiko (Haruko Wanibuchi) helps out at a ryokan (traditional inn) i...


A Beautiful Blend – The Apothecary Diaries Anime Review
Some anime series are beautiful to experience despite dealing with surprisingly mature subject matter. The Apothecary Diaries is one such show. It looks colorful and flowery, but deals…
Love Live! Superstar!! S3 - Episode 4 - Rainy Yuigaoka Colorful Stage
Liella put on a concert just for Tomari to prove that Natsumi's dream of becoming a school idol is worth it. Love Live! Superstar!! S3 - Episode 4
The Tycoon / 傷だらけの山河 / Kizudarake no sanga (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #144 Ayako Wakao and So Yamamura Having delivered a mega-hit for Daiei studios with Shinobi no mono (1962) and also...
Hot Spring Doctress / 温泉女医 / Onsen joi (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #143 When a new doctor arrives to replace the old drunk Dr Yabuuchi (Ichiro Sugai) at a hot spring resort in…


Halloween for Anime!
Yay, once again the air has become crisp, the leaves have become more colorful and vibrant, and the smell of pumpkin spice can be found everywhere. Now that…


NOT TILL TOO 🫠| VIVINOS - "FINAL | Alien Stage" - REACTION
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dr7HljrsoQ Reaction & Analysis of "FINAL | Alien Stage" by VIVINOS, the 7th mainline episode in the Alien Stage series. This episode stars Luca vs Till (the…
While Yet a Wife / 妻の日の愛のかたみに / Tsuma no hi no ai no katamini (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #141 Ayako Wakao Chieko (Ayako Wakao) and Kitahara (Eiji Funakoshi) are country schoolteachers who get married and a...
The Blue Beast / 青い野獣 / Aoi yaju (1960)
Obscure Japanese Film #140 Tatsuya Nakadai Yasuhiko Kuroki (Tatsuya Nakadai) is an ambitious young man working for a magazine publishing c...
Two on the Road
After Heart Cocktail , Watase Seizou released three more anime OVAs based on his stories: 1987: Boku no Oldies wa All-Color ( My All-Colo...
Women and Miso Soup / 女と味噌汁 / Onna to misoshiru (1968)
Obscure Japanese Film #139 Junko Ikeuchi Chikako (Junko Ikeuchi) is a geisha who works under the name of Temari. Such an occupation gives ...


A Bright and Colorful Adventure: An Interview with BAKERU Director Tadanori Tsukawaki
We spoke with BAKERU's director—Tadanori Tsukawaki of Good-Feel about a wide range of topics—from the game's anime inspirations, its educational elements, and even giant robots for good measure.
She Came for Love / 女が愛して憎むとき / Onna ga aishite nikumu toki (‘When a Woman Loves and Hates’, 1963)
Obscure Japanese Film #138 Ayako Wakao Toshiko (Ayako Wakao) is the madam of a bar in Osaka who tries to keep her private life private and...
The Invisible Wall / 眼の壁 / Me no kabe (‘Wall of Eyes’, 1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #137 Keiji Sada Masao Oda This Shochiku production stars Keiji Sada as Hagisaki, the deputy head of an accounts de...


First Impression: Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, Season 2
As bold, colorful lights stream down from the heavens, Aishia, Rio’s contracted spirit, feels a spiritual jolt to her soul; there’s no doubt that something monumental is happening,…


Inner Scars, Outer Junk – Mayoiga/The Lost Village Spoiler Review
Take a cast of colorful and engaging characters, and then put them somewhere you can have a creepy atmosphere of suspicion and fear. This is a pretty basic…
Bara no ki ni bara no hana saku / 薔薇の木にバラの花咲く / (‘Roses Bloom on the Rose Bush’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #136 Ayako Wakao Rieko Sumi and Ayako Wakao Reiko (Ayako Wakao) is a senior university student majoring in English w...
A Hole of My Own Making / /自分の穴の中で / Jibun no ana no nakade (1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #134 Rentaro Mikuni, Mie Kitahara and Jukichi Uno Tamiko (Mie Kitahara) is a young woman living at home with her s...


Bye Bye, Earth Season 1 Anime Series Review
On the surface, Bye Bye, Earth depicts a vibrant and colorful fantasy world – unfortunately, its story is plain baffling.
Bury Me Deep / わたしを深く埋めて / Watashi o fukaku umete (1963)
Obscure Japanese Film #133 Jiro Tamiya Nakabe (Jiro Tamiya) is a lawyer returning to Tokyo after a long holiday in Kyushu. In his absenc...
A Rainbow at Every Turn / 虹いくたび / Niji ikutabi / (1956)
Obscure Japanese Film #132 Machiko Kyo and Ayako Wakao Before I begin, I should point out that, although I don’t usually write a synopsis ...